


heartfelt words

by BookRockShooter



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ? - Freeform, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Keith this season was... not my Keith, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Swearing, Post Season/Series 07, Post-Canon, can be read as romantic or platonic klance, his comment was uncalled for okay, i just wanted to make keith say what i think he should've okay-, slight langst, tiny rewrite of The Scene in ep4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 18:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15646926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookRockShooter/pseuds/BookRockShooter
Summary: It's the episodeThe Feud!, but Keith actually says something nice about Lance.-*set during and after s7ep4, slight re-write bc Keith's reason for picking Lance was uncalled for okay*





	heartfelt words

**Author's Note:**

> hmmm s7 Upset Me
> 
> I wrote this in like an hour bc while I mostly enjoyed ep4, Lance's treatment,,, upset me okay he's not dumb and they shouldn't have treated him the way they did, especially Keitn, bc like,, _what_
> 
> so yeah have this tiny fix-it fic where Keith says something nice and Lance is Shook but then feels valid so all's good with them lol also a lotta dialogue here is pulled straight from the ep so none of that belongs to me ah- aLSO Lance's reasonings here for not choosing any of the other paladins are all I could think of so hopefully they're not seen as bad or anything idk ack
> 
> I'll probably write more small, unrelated fix-it things bc this season has a lot that could be fixed, especially the Adashi situation, bc YIKES
> 
> lmo anyway I hope you enjoy this!! I know people have already done this but I wanted to too okay-
> 
> *this is unedited bc it's late and I'm tired so I hope it makes sense and isn't bad skjsjksjk rip*

Lance is not having a good time right now.

He doesn’t know if he’s dreaming, or if he’s maybe suffering from some sort of hallucination, or if this is maybe actually real, but no matter what, he does know one thing – this entire situation _sucks._

Personally, Lance is hoping that it’s just a dream. Because if this is real, then that means that his friends apparently think that he’s a complete dumbass. Lance knows that he can be kinda dumb sometimes, sure, but he’s not _that_ stupid. At least, that’s what he hopes.

He shakes his head quickly. No, he can’t afford to think about this now. Pidge is about to do her challenge – and of course she gets freaking _mini golf,_ something that doesn’t test her intelligence, because everyone already knows how smart she is, _of course_ – and he forces himself to focus on her and the rest of his teammates. The others are focused on her, too, and he eyes the golf course. It looks pretty simple, so he’s sure that she’ll win and then they’ll hopefully be able to finally leave-

Pidge swings, and the golf ball flies into the camera next to Lance’s tank. People gasp and yell as Pidge flies at Bob and pins him down. Lance’s gaze flickers between her and the others, eyes wide with fear. Yeah, no, that was pretty stupid of Pidge. They’re definitely going to die now.

“Let us go now!” Pidge yells, and then an alarm starts blaring. Lance’s heart stops. Yep, there it is. Imminent death. At least he’ll be done with this stupid gameshow.

Then the room flashes with a kind of golden light, and Lance finds himself back at his podium space between Hunk and Pidge. He blinks and touches his face carefully while Bob says loudly, “It looks like the paladins have just made it into the final round!” Lance is relieved to find that he’s unharmed by the tank of whatever the hell that stuff was, but then the words _‘final round’_ sink in. That sounds way too ominous to him.

“Okay,” Hunk says next to him, “I know I’ve said this before, many times, but this is the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Lance silently agrees, still feeling his face. He wants to wake up now.

Bob starts speaking again, much to Lance’s dismay. “One of you will now be allowed to leave the game,” is what he says, and Lance braces himself for the punchline. “The rest of you will be staying with me forever.” Yep, there it is. Seriously, what the hell is up with this guy? Or, if this is a dream, what the hell is up with Lance’s subconscious mind? He never wants to dream again, after this.

Floating in front of them menacingly, Bob continues, “You have blazzle hoochas to write down your choice for who should get to escape on the screen in front of you.” Blue screens shoot up on either side of Lance, hiding him from his teammates, and he stares at the one to his left unhappily. “Go!” With that, Bob flies away, leaving Lance and the others to choose who should go home. _This is so fucked up,_ he thinks to himself, sighing. He peers around the screens to look at Hunk and then Pidge, but neither of them have started writing yet. He moves back with a frown.

Who the hell is he supposed to choose?

He leans forward to rest one arm on the podium and holds himself up that way, staring down at his screen. Scratching his head with the pencil-esque utensil, he mulls over his options.

Allura comes to mind first. She’s kind, brave, knows how to handle diplomatic situations, and is a good fighter and pilot. She’s the obvious choice to him. But when Lance pauses to really think it over, he realizes that she wouldn’t actually be the choice. Sure, she’s good with other species and is also an awesome fighter, but he also knows that she works best with other people. Would she be able to easily get along without the other paladins? Maybe, but Lance doesn’t want to risk it, even if this is just a dream.

His thoughts change to Hunk. The guy’s his best friend – well, maybe – and Lance loves the guy to death. He’s also brave and extremely well at getting along with other people, but he also gets frightened easily without the rest of them. He likely wouldn’t be able to focus on their missions without the rest of them to back him up. He decides against choosing Hunk.

Pidge flashes through his mind, and he feels himself frown a little deeper. Pidge is the smartest out of their group – a well-known fact – and a good fighter, but Lance worries that she’d get into trouble more often without them there to help her. So… not Pidge, either.

The last name lingers in his thoughts, and Lance drags a hand down his face, sighing.

Keith.

Lance isn’t completely sure, because communication with his teammates – especially Keith – haven’t been the best lately, but he’s, like, eighty percent certain that Keith is not the same guy who left them. Not in the same sense that Shiro wasn’t, no, just… different. Lance figures that it’s the leadership role getting to him, but he isn’t sure. He can’t focus on that for too long, now, though, so he shakes his head and goes over the pros of having Keith be the one to leave.

As he thinks it over, he realizes that Keith would be a good choice for similar reasons to Allura. The guy’s their leader, first off, but he’s also brave and one hell of a fighter and pilot. Also, he’s part Galra. If he gets out of here, he could possibly begin to help change the future for the better just by being who he is. And he’s always willing to help others. For as long as he’s known Keith, he’s never been one to leave others behind. And – though he can’t really admit it, especially not now – Lance has always had a sort of… _soft spot_ for Keith. Before things went to shit – more than usual, at least – Lance thinks they were on their way to becoming really good friends. He’s not so sure now, but… Lance grips the pencil tighter.

Despite their current screwed up relationship, it’s clear to Lance. Keith is the obvious choice. Of course. Lance lets his lips stretch into the smallest of smiles as he finally writes down Keith’s name.

“Final hoochas. Make your selections, everyone.”

Lance puts the utensil down and straightens as the screens all slide down. He sees his friends all standing straight, too, as Bob floats in front of them on his weird chair-thing. “Hunk, let’s start with you. Who’d you vote for?”

“Well, Bob, I voted for Allura,” Hunk says confidently, and Lance turns to him, surprised. He hadn’t really stopped to consider who the others would be voting for, but he still finds this choice surprising. Honestly, he’s confused that Hunk didn’t choose Pidge; they’d grown pretty close over the past few months. “I figured she’s the princess, and she’s such a natural leader, you know? The universe needs her more than it needs the rest of us, plain and simple.” Hunk turns to Allura, smiling, and she looks touched as she rests a hand on his shoulder. The audience aww’s, and Lance smiles softly. Those were some of the same reasons he’d considered her. He’s glad Hunk understood, too.

“Aw, thank you, Hunk.”

“Allura, who did you vote for?” Lance finds himself pretty eager to hear Allura’s thoughts, and he leans forward. Maybe she picked him? Allura’s said before that she knows how good of a person he is, so maybe…

Her screen flashes to life. “I selected Pidge,” she says proudly, and Lance deflates a bit. Well, maybe somebody else chose him. Hopefully. “She and her family have the best chance of rebuilding what my father started.” Lance quirks an eyebrow at her words. Huh. He hadn’t considered that.

“Interesting,” Bob says, smirking. Lance stiffens when Bob’s gaze jumps to him. “Lance, who’s got your vote?”

_Well, here goes nothing._

“I voted for Keith,” he says, just managing to hold his voice steady. He motions vaguely with his hands as he continues with, “He’s our leader, plus he’s half Galra, so I think he’s, like, the future.” He finds himself smiling as he stares down at the podium. He doesn’t say every reason, but he figures it’s enough to get the message across to everyone. To Keith, at least. Lance hopes Keith gets that, despite everything, Lance will always believe in Keith. Will always _choose_ Keith. Lance smiles just a tad wider.

Bob flies over to Keith, then, and Lance turns towards him, wandering who Keith had chosen. His guess is Allura, or maybe Hunk. He waits nervously, tapping his fingers, as Bob says, “Keith, the leader, who do you think deserves to make it out of here, huh?”

Keith looks sullen as his screen flashes. Lance tries to look at it from where he is, but he can’t tell who the picture is of, so he waits for him to say the name. Keith remains silent, though, and so Bob announces his choice.

“Lance? Why Lance?” is what the alien says, and Lance feels his eyes widen.

What the hell? Keith chose _him?_ That’s… unexpected, but also really nice, actually, and Lance feels himself smile again, softer this time. Maybe Keith is still cool with him. That would be a relief for Lance.

Still glaring at Bob, Keith says, “I’d rather not share why.” The audience starts to murmur, sounding shocked and confused, and Lance’s smile slips off his face. What? Keith chose him and he’s not even going to say why? That seems unfair.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” he whines, and Keith finally turns to look at him, frowning. Strangely, his face looks slightly pinker than before. Lance ignores that, though, and adds, “I just said some super nice things about you, the least you could do is say something back.” He raises an eyebrow in what he hopes is a challenging way.

Keith just turns away, and, yeah, wow, he’s actually blushing. “And I appreciate it,” he says through gritted teeth, “but I don’t feel like saying anything. So-”

“Keith, just say something,” Pidge snaps. “The sooner you do as Bob says, the sooner I can say something, and then maybe we can leave. So just spit something out, like, you think he’s just too annoying to be stuck with for eternity, so you want him gone.”

“Hey!” Lance snaps, barely resisting the urge to shove Pidge off of her platform, and Keith rolls his eyes.

“No, that’s a stupid reason.” He glances over and catches Lance’s eye again, and Lance knits his eyebrows at how embarrassed Keith is starting to look. What kind of reasons did he pick to make him pull that expression? “Alright, fine!” Keith finally snaps, and he drops his gaze again, face nearly the color of the Red Lion. Lance leans forward in anticipation. “I chose Lance because he’s… the kindest and most selfless paladin, and… and he inspires others, including myself, to be better people. He deserves to escape the most because… he’s just a good person. There. Happy, now?”

Lance realizes a few seconds after Keith’s impromptu speech that his mouth is hanging open, and he closes it hastily, face burning with equal amounts of both embarrassment and gratitude. He… wasn’t really expecting that. He coughs out a hoarse, “Uh, thanks, man,” and Keith grunts in response.

The studio’s awkwardly silent for a little longer until Bob finally moves on to Pidge, and Lance just barely pays enough attention to hear that she chose Hunk. Lance saw that one coming from a mile away, honestly, and her reasons of him being the likeliest to bring people together have everyone smiling, including Lance, even though he’s still distracted. He looks at Keith out of the corner of his eye while Pidge and Hunk exchange a fist bump. Keith is staring at the far wall, arms crossed, and Lance really wants to ask him if he meant what he said, but Bob interrupts before he can really even consider it.

“No one voted for themselves. Everyone wanted someone else to get to leave and every single one of you got a vote.” Lance watches Keith as he glances up to look at Bob, and their eyes meet for a split second before they both turn away hastily, and Lance feels his face grow hot again. Wow, he doesn’t ever remember getting this flustered over someone saying nice things about him… except Allura. The thought makes him pause, blush even harder, and shake his head quickly as though to clear his thoughts. Now he’s comparing Allura and _Keith?_ He wants to wake up, like, now. He’s never sleeping again after this.

Finally focusing again, he says, “So, I guess we all get fed to the Snick or something now, right?” He wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, he’s willing to have that happen if that means ending this nightmare.

Bob turns to them, face and studio darkening, and Lance flinches. _Here it comes._

“You all get… quaz-cenbullion credits! You win!”

Confetti starts floating down over them and the rest of the studio, and Lance cheers alongside his friends. Hunk even lifts him up into a tight hug, Pidge chanting, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” beside them, and then he manages to catch Keith actually smiling. He feels himself grin at the sight. He’s missed Keith’s genuine smile, he realizes.

“That’s our show, everybody,” drawls Bob, and Lance gets set back down as he and the others turn to face Bob, all bouncing with excitement as Bob calls out the rest of his end-of-the-show lines. “Good night!” he finishes, and then everything goes black.

What feels like only a few seconds later, Lance opens his eyes to find himself back in Red, and he sighs loudly with relief. “What a dream,” he mutters out loud to himself, trying to force every memory of it out of his mind.

Actually, he lets himself mull over one thing. The things Keith said about him… sure, they were said in a dream, so Lance thought them up himself, but he still smiles when he replays them in his mind. It felt nice to hear Keith say something like that about him, mostly because nobody else was exactly volunteering to validate Lance, and also because they came from Keith – well, dream Keith, but Lance will take what he can get.

The comms crackle, and then Hunk’s saying to everyone, _“Hey, guys. I just kinda dozed off for a second and I had this crazy dream.”_ Lance freezes.

_“Garfle Warfle Snick?”_ comes Pidge’s hesitant voice, and Lance nearly falls out of his seat. That was real? So everything his friends said – everything _Keith_ said – actually happened?

_“No way,”_ Hunk says in shock, and then Keith says, sounding just as surprised as Lance feels, _“You guys saw that, too?”_ Lance grimaces as another, more unfortunate realization hits him.

“So wait, does that mean Bob is real?” he asks, quietly horrified at the thought of that creepy-ass alien being real. Lance shudders to himself.

Coran gets on the comms then to explain who the hell Bob is, and when he calls him an “all-powerful, all-knowing interdimensional being,” Lance can’t help but say, smugly, “Well, I bet he never met anyone worthier than us.”

Coran then basically affirms that by saying that because they lived through the guy, they’re destined for great things indeed. Lance grins at that. _Hell yeah._

_“The guy was kind of a jerk, though, right?”_ Keith suddenly comments, and Lance is reminded all at once of the “dumb” comments Bob had made about him. His good mood dies instantly, and he frowns out the window at the stars around them.

“Yeah, I’m not that dumb!” he agrees, crossing his arms.

_“Maybe just a little dumb,”_ Pidge says, and Lance thinks she’s teasing, but he still groans anyway. _Good to know that they really do think of me as an idiot,_ he thinks sourly.

_“Knock it off,”_ Keith says, sounding annoyed, and Lance starts at his tone. _“Lance isn’t dumb, so leave him alone.”_

That catches him off-guard, and apparently everyone else, too, because the comms go silent. Lance hesitates, then flips on the private comms between the red and black lions.

“Keith?” he says carefully, not sure if he wants Keith to actually answer or not. He wants to know if Keith meant what he said, but at the same time, he doesn’t, just in case it was all a lie. His hands clench at the thought. He really hopes Keith meant everything.

_“Yeah?”_ comes Keith’s voice, surprised again, and Lance straightens in his seat.

“Oh, uh, hey, man,” he says, tapping his fingers on the control board. “Listen, maybe this is a weird thing to ask about, but… did you mean what you said… when you chose me?”

He waits nervously for a response, shifting restlessly when the silence stretches between them. “Keith?” he mutters, feeling his stomach twist. “Never mind, I–”

_“Of course I meant it?”_ Keith finally says, sounding way more offended than Lance had expected. Lance pauses and stares at the comms, jaw going slack. _“Why would I say all of that and not actually mean it? Lance, I–”_ There’s a pause, and Lance waits, still staring. _“You’re everything I said you are and more, okay? You’re important, and I honestly did think that you deserved to get out of there. Okay, now that I’ve said that for a second time–”_ Lance laughs a little at his tone, rubbing his eyes, which are definitely not wet, nope. _“–do you believe me? I like to think I’m getting better at the whole ‘emotions’ thing, but this still feels weird to say, even though I do mean it. Yeah. Uh, can I–”_

“Thank you again, Keith,” Lance says, smiling in a way that feels strangely fond. “Yeah, I think I believe you now. Sorry, I was just, y’know, making sure.”

Keith’s quiet for another moment. _“No problem, Lance,”_ he says softly. _“You know, you never have to check if something nice I say to you is real. I’ll always mean it.”_ Lance feels his face redden again, and he’s suddenly glad to be alone in the lion. _“So, uh. Y-yeah,”_ Keith stammers, sounding embarrassed again, and Lance clears his throat.

“Thanks, man. I’ll- I’ll leave you be, now.” He turns off the private comms and then grabs his controls again so he can focus back on flying. He feels an involuntary smile stretch across his face as his mind replays everything Keith’s said to him today.

He feels better about himself than he has in a long while.

**Author's Note:**

> i wish something like this had actually happened why was Lance treated in such a mean way by people (especially Keith) this season I'm-
> 
> okay i'm tired and still annoyed @ s7 so i'm gonna go sleep lmao lmk if y'all liked this!!
> 
> have a good day/night! <3


End file.
